Plaything of the Gods
by tearsofacrescent
Summary: Five years have passed since Naraku's defeat and Kagome, a Med. student, believes the past is gone until it comes to find her in the most impossible of ways. Her journey was not finished and she has no idea what the Gods have in store. However, one thing is certain; to keep the future intact, nothing can be as she had planned it. Inutashio/Kag
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Any of the characters depicted here from Inuyasha do not belong to me, they belong to the great Rumiko Takahashi. However, any characters unfamiliar to you belong to me (O.C.'s) When they come into play, I will certainly let you know. This is a slow in coming story while TSTUWB, SOMH and TIHYW are under construction or are being completely unhelpful to my creating. One O.C. is Moshin, however he is not in any of my personal novels as of yet.

Please enjoy.

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Chapter one

The wind was bitter and dry, snatching the air right out of those who attempted to march through it. Winter was here in full force and a depression was heading for the city that would quiet the life into silent obscurity that night. It was a somber time, or perhaps it was just a time that matched her mood, but Kagome felt more connection to the world when the days were like this. In the heat and fire of summer, she longed to be away from the passion of it's sun and delve deep into the snowy chasm of winters solitary promise.

She had her hands buried deep in her coat pockets, mouth protected by her scarf as she attempted to breathe through it and the wind. Her satchel was filled with medical books, but nothing compared to the bag she _used_ to carry around. Gods was that thing ever monstrous. How she managed to cram all of the stuff in there, she wasn't sure. Could she even do it again?

Thoughts of the Feudal time period drifted through her mind and she forced them aside as the chill of the world seemed to deepen within herself. She missed them all so much, but especially him... It made her hurt so much inside and when she pictured the pain in her mind, she felt like it was some monster coming from some abyss in an arctic ocean in order to collect her. She hated how much this had changed her, but missing him would not abate.

She opened the door to one of the sandwich shops in town that she visited daily. It was time for a hot cup of tea and a small sandwich. Kagome couldn't afford much, unfortunately, what with being so far from Tokyo now. Nagoya was smaller than Tokyo by some four and a half million people, but it was still overpopulated in her mind. Too many people, not enough trees and land and space.

"Good morning, Kagome." The shop owner smiled as she walked up to the counter. "Your usual, dear?" Kagome nodded, pulling out her wallet. "Ah, no, no. You keep that."

"I have to-" Kagome frowned, not wanting to take this woman's food for free.

"Khanchu opened his eyes last night." The woman went on to quietly say. "You sat with him in the hospital, you took his hand. The doctors said we should let him go, but you did something. You must have prayed to the Gods in a way that we did not, because he began to improve that very night."

"I didn't-"

"You did. Do not lie to this old mother, now go sit and we will bring you something to eat." Kagome stood very still, not sure how to feel. "Do this for us as it is our wish."

Kagome closed her blue eyes and took a deep breath before bowing to the woman. "I would not insult you." Kagome finally agreed. "Thank you."

"My son is _alive_ because of you. Do not thank me for a meal." She said before going to the back with tears in her eyes. Kagome could hear her talking to her husband and so she went to sit. This occurrence reminded her more of her time in the past. Whenever they helped some headmaster or what not, free foods, room and board or what have you were always available. It saddened her, but somehow it also made her feel better at once.

Since moving away from the family shrine, she came here to Nagoya and was able to find and single reputable shrine left. Much of Nagoya had been destroyed in air raids, but there was one shrine that was standing with a true priest caring for it. Kagome had learned fearlessness in the Feudal period and so approached Moshin, telling him of her desire to learn from him and attend medical school. He did not refuse her at first, but she did have to prove herself to him.

Pulling at her spiritual power after so long had been difficult, however, the flare of energy caught his attention and the utter clearness of it convinced him she should train with him. She remained at his shrine free of charge and had learned a great deal about healing, as fighting was not in his nature. In healing, she was able to do things like she had for this family. It is one way she had a little money on the side as she was completely focused on medical school or the shrine and had no time for a job. She had managed to get a prestigious scholarship, though she wasn't sure how it had happened, or else she wouldn't be going to school. Most students had copious amounts of debt from their loans and the likelihood of them paying their loans off in any significant amount of time was highly improbable.

Kagome glanced up as she felt someone approaching and saw Mrs. Taeko with a bowl of soup, a sandwich and tea. Opening her mouth, she was beaten by the owners wife. "You do not eat enough. You are too thin." She set the tray down before Kagome. "Eat. Enjoy." With a bow, Kagome was left to herself and the food before her.

Her life was strange even now, wasn't it? The kindness offered to her made Kagome smile softly, a little warmth managing to abate some of the inner freeze she was feeling. She took a bite of her sandwich and began reading one of her textbooks.

She'd already been through her courses for the day and was now meditating at the shrine, allowing her tumultuous emotions to swell up through her. She saw shadows dance behind her eyes, felt the air changing around her and knew to simply let herself ride on the journey. Whatever would come to her would simply appear and she could not stop what was to be revealed. Meditation always brought some sort of message to her, whether it was about letting something go or bringing something in.

In all the time she had spent at the shrine and working with Moshin, Kagome had become quite practiced at the art of meditation. Even through all of the 'healing therapy', however, she still found that the darkness of loss clouded her spirit now.

It was a good thing she did not carry the Shikon no Tama with her now, or it would have been marred by regret and sorrow. Letting out a deeper breath, Kagome tried to relax further, the shadows darkening behind her eyes even further until suddenly she slipped into complete blackness, the scent of incense dying away to reveal the crispness of snow, savagely overruled by thick smoke. The moon was dark overhead, a new moon, and people were screaming. Kagome couldn't move from her spot, staring up into the clear sky. Her heart was racing and she wanted to help them, but she was trapped. She could neither move forward or back, nor could she turn her head.

She was trapped in this meditation and Kagome felt like her heart was going to explode with the way it was pounding in her chest. Her vision was blurring as the tiny flakes of snow began to fall on her face and her nose burned from the scent of smoke.

She gasped wildly as something tore her from where she was and she fell into a heap upon the warm wood floor, Moshin kneeling before her. His mouth was moving, but she couldn't hear him. All she could hear was screaming.

When it was clear she was locked inside of herself somehow, the priest brought himself into a prayer formation and Kagome could feel his aura reaching out to her. She saw the distinct gold hue slowly rising from himself and wrapping around her. Kagome slowly lost the cries of anguish and the scent of burning wood left her. The cold of the snow seemed to evaporate from inside of her and she started shaking, finally able to close her blue eyes.

At the sound of her whimpers, Moshin very slowly pulled himself out of prayer and focused in on the young woman before him. "Kagome-" He began in a smooth, concerned voice.

"I couldn't save them. I don't know who they were, but I couldn't even move. I think I need to save them." She looked at him wildly. "I have to go back. Gods, what if it was Inuyasha and-"

She had never revealed much of her past to him, only allowed him to inspect her aura; a warriors aura. Inuyasha was an odd name, not one he had heard, but one he had read. However, he would not allow her to delve into something so personal when she was so disheveled. "Higurashi," his voice was soft, yet firm. "You are not there, but here. Focus your energy. Feel the place you are in."

" _The time I'm in._ " Her mind had corrected, but his words had reached her now. She felt of herself, of the world and slowly drew back into this place.

Her eyes grew steadily clearer and Moshin watched approvingly as some of the training her had provided took hold. He could feel her aura rooting itself into the land beneath the shrine. It delved deep, questioning, attaining, reassuring and then something interesting happened. This had occurred one other instance with her when he had woken her from a horrid nightmare. The land answered back in the most ancient of ways, in a deep memory from long ago. It almost felt as if the earth itself remembered her from a time so far previously that he could not fathom.

The world _remembered_ Kagome Higursashi, not her soul. Was she a child displaced from time? Impossible, or so he had believed before, but now that the earth was holding onto her so tight, bathing her in comforting memories, Moshin had to truly consider it. Was it his place to ask, no, but he could wonder to himself, could he not?

Outside of the shrine he sensed the trees recalling being seedlings as her aura had passed by and the steps her feet had taken. He could hear her voice for a moment, sense her woes and realized she was younger then. Yet just as he was beginning to truly connect with the earth and her, he was shut out and it pushed him into the current moment, in Nagoya.

When he looked into Kagome's eyes, they were wistful and knowing far beyond her years. She smiled a little at him and softly said. "It's a long story."

"I would not ask you to tell me, but I would hear it all the same." He replied honestly.

And so Kagome began the tale of her Feudal Fairy tale.

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Small beginnings will lead to great adventures, I promise. Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Don't get overly excited everyone as I do not normally update so quickly. If you've read To See the Unnoticed When Blind (TSTUWB) or This Is How You Were (TIHYW) then you know my sporadic updates. You also know my insane level of stress and my normally overbearing depression. Right now I'm just ignoring college work to write this, which is bad, but I'm going to loose my mind if this story doesn't come out.

Thank you for the favorites, the watches and my first two reviews. I appreciate it. Enjoy Chapter two.

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Chapter two

At the end of her tale, Moshin and Kagome sat in silence, the night outside quiet for Nagoya. It was early yet, but the bitter cold and the snow that fell so rapidly had pushed all life inside of warm, safe walls. She did not expect the priest to believe her, but she hoped he would all the same. She had never told him of her travels and of the strangeness because she needed a safe place to stay and being here, in a shrine, had helped her tremendously. It was as though a piece of the past could still be with her. It was like her old life wasn't really gone after all.

She stared unflinchingly into his eyes, the honesty in her voice and seriousness of her gaze, coupled with the calmness of her aura, was unmistakable. She truly believed all of what she had told him. What was also abundantly clear was that it didn't matter one bit if _he_ believed it.

Moshin closed his blue eyes and took a deep breath. "Would you mind making some tea for us? I will return shortly."

Kagome frowned a little, confused by that reaction. She expected disbelief or understanding, not... Tea. "Alright." She agreed, standing. He went to the end of the shrine that she had scarcely traveled to, where he stayed in the evenings and she moved to the kitchen. She took the kettle at the back of the stove and poured water into it, setting it back on the eye and turning on the gas.

She took some tea leaves and put them in the Infusers, setting the two in two separate cups as she waited for the water to come to a boil. Her mind was on her vision and her past, and it was dragging her down into a depression again. Her eyes watered of their own accord and she allowed a few tears to escape. She couldn't afford a full on cry right now, but letting something out would surely help, right?

She stood still and quiet, looking out into the night at the furious snow falling down outside. Soon the snow would abate and move onto another location in Japan and they would be left to a peaceful aftermath.

Hearing footsteps, she wiped her tears away and moved to get the kettle just as it whistled, shutting off the flame. Kagome was pouring the water into his cup as Moshin stepped into the kitchen and she expertly moved to hers without even looking up at him. "This shrine had not completely escaped the air raids of 1945. A lot of it was salvaged thanks to my grandfather, but much of our historical scripts were destroyed, along with most of our family history. This may interest you, though."

Kagome turned, holding both cups as she brought them to the table. There at the center were a few scrolls and they were quite old. "Wow." Kagome said, intrigued. "Your grandfather did very well." She was truly impressed. If things like that caught fire, as old and dry as those papers were, they would have turned to ash quickly.

Handing him his tea, Kagome opened a parchment and looked it over. She froze at the names on the very top of this family tree that had been written. Luckily she was mindful enough to gently set her cup down. "Sa-Sango and Miroku..." Her friends, Miroku's own handwriting... It was unmistakable. "They ha-had eight children...?" She abruptly turned her eyes to the man standing next to her and understood the blue pigment of his eyes then. Even after four hundred something years, somehow the recessive gene was strong enough to hold on and appear in Miroku's great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandchild.

"There's more." Moshin said, moving the page from her hand and Kagome pulled up another. "Oh Kami," Kagome whispered, her eyes watering as she ran her hand over the name. "He wrote about Inuyasha."

"These are the only two accounts from Miroku's life that I have. A family tree and a small written document about a half demon." Moshin took up his tea. "There had been a great deal more, my grandfather had said, but the fire took the rest."

"When I was talking, why didn't you say-"

"I wanted to hear your words. The papers could hold off." He explained. "I understand your aura now, at least."

Kagome looked up at him, trying to discern from his face what he could mean. "My depression or how my abilities are accustomed to being used?"

He smiled a little. "Both." Taking the scroll with his family tree on it, he explained. "It is from my understanding that we stopped training ourselves for battle here." This would have been Miroku's great, great grandson, Imojiro. "From accounts by my ancestor, 'demons' had been gone since he was a small child."

Kagome nodded, sipping of her tea. It warmed her from the inside out it seemed. "How many records do you still have?"

"Just a broad chest now, though I do have one other piece that may interest you." He took up the papers. "I will return." He promised, quickly going out of the room and back toward his bedroom.

Kagome was left standing alone in the kitchen, her mind on her past and the irony that she came here of all places. She had chosen this shrine to attempt gaining a foothold in Nagoya for her schooling and had been drawn to Moshin in a strange way. Like, she had felt she could trust him for some reason. There was a familiarity about his aura, one that made her less homesick. It was all adding up now, of course, but at the time... It was so strange.

Miroku and Sango had birthed eight children. Honestly she was surprised there weren't more with his sex addiction, but just... Her friend had always been so strong, such an amazing woman, yet now Kagome had to admire her even more. She was incredible.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." Kagome whispered aloud. "I'm sorry I wasn't holding your hand, or helping you pick up after your babies." Tears stung her eyes again. "Wherever your soul is, I hope it hears how proud I am of you and how much I miss and love you. All of you." She wiped the tears away from her face again, happy to know they had at least experienced happiness. She just wondered about Inuyasha. The writing was brief, explaining the importance of the half demon in the defeat of Naraku, and of Kagome's disappearance. There wasn't much else written.

What had become of Inuyasha? Once she had gone, what had he done with his life?

Moshin came back into the kitchen. "You will need your coat." He told her, as he put his on. "Come."

Kagome grabbed her coat from the hook near the door and followed Moshin out into the biting cold, noting the snow was already slowing down. She couldn't see through the clouds yet, but off in the distance, it looked as though there was a clearness reaching out to the shrine. She trudged through the snow in her shoes and followed him to a building out of the way of the shrine. It was the one that always had a lock on it.

The keys jingled in his hand as he pulled them out of his pocket. "Here we keep the most important items to our family." He explained. "One you will recognize beyond a doubt."

Opening the door, he stepped inside and turned on a light. It barely flickered in the cold it seemed, but Kagome didn't care. Her eyes came to rest on the old, weathered staff and she instantly cried. Reaching out, she picked it up and the familiar jingle made her smile, even laugh after a moment. "Thank Kami for your grandfather, Moshin."

That, if nothing else, made it even more clear to him who she was. Whether or not her story was impossible did not matter. Life had been impossible in this universe once and somehow here they were, standing on a planet in the middle of space, gravitating around a giant star. Impossible things had been proven to happen.

"I do not believe your coming to this place was an accident, Kaogme." Moshin said quietly. "I believe you were meant to be here and to return from the past. Perhaps your journey is still ongoing and you merely haven't realized it yet."

"I wouldn't know." Kagome said honestly, her heart heavy. "The well won't let me pass through it. I tried even before I came to Nagoya. Nothing happened. I was just stuck there at the bottom."

"No one knows exactly what the plan is for their life as they live it, Kagome. That is revealed as we go on through it."

She gently set the staff back against the wall and started to turn when her eye caught something in the corner of the room. "I remember you." Kagome said softly to the sword, pulling it from behind a shelf. "You protected me many times." She held the demon sword against her chest, feeling a pulse of recognition in it. "Tetsuiga."

" _That_ is the sword you said Inuyasha retrieved from his fathers grave?" Moshin asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"And you had these treasures just sitting around in there. Two weapons used to protect and save this world from one of the most evil creatures ever born." Kagome laughed.

"I ordered a glass case to be made for the staff." He said defensively and she laughed harder. "It's taken me a while, but I did get around to it."

"Now you sound a little like Miroku. He had the weakest excuses." She was still holding tight to Tetsuiga and it happily reverberated against her hands. Looking down at the sword and back up at Moshin, she murmured. "I won't ask for this, but can we at least keep it in the shrine."

"A demon sword that is now active... You want me to allow you to bring inside a holy place?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Okay, what if I just bring it in my bedroom and leave it in there where people won't see it at all?" She asked quickly.

"I have a feeling if I tell you no it will be there regardless, so why don't I just give it to you?" He offered.

"I wouldn't _take_ it. I just want to _see_ it." She said, ignoring how cold she was.

"Because you miss him." Moshin said and Kagome nodded. "I understand." He sighed. "In your room, never outside of the shrine."

"Thank you!" She said, hugging him. "Thank you for all of this." She said as she stepped back. "I _needed_ something to help me."

Moshin understood, as her aura had never dramatically improved from its overall depression. It was like she had lost much of her reason. A huge piece of herself was simply gone and though meditation helped her deal with the chunk of herself that was not present, it did not heal it by any means. She had needed a piece of the past with her as she had nothing of anyone that she'd been forced to leave behind.

"I am glad to help." Moshin answered. "Now go inside and get to sleep. Tomorrow will be here before you or I know it."

"Hai." Kagome answered. "Goodnight, Moshin." She jogged away to the shrine and he lost sight of her quickly. Her energy was up so he was sure she wouldn't fall asleep right away. It was good to see her happy, as he had never really seen this part of her. Wistful, content, but never happy. Kagome was ever the person looking in a window from the outside, seeing the enjoyment before her, but not able to truly be a part of it.

He hoped that would change somehow. Looking up at the now clearing sky, Moshin noted the new moon. If it would have been full, the city would have been truly beautiful tonight.

Kagome clutched Tetsuiga close to her as she laid down, just like Inuyasha used to sleep. The hilt of the sword was against her cheek and she kept her hands tight around the scabbard. "I wish you could talk and tell me what happened to him." She whispered softly to the sword. "If only you could bridge between us and let me tell him I miss him." Her voice cracked at the end and the swords vibrations turned to gentle humming. "I love you, Inuyasha."

Keeping the sword close to her, Kagome allowed herself to cry in a way she had not cried in so long. Her tears exhausted her body into a deep, deep sleep that Tetsuiga was determined to keep guard over. It wasn't until late that night when the world was utterly still even within homes that Tetsuiga and Kagome's own spiritual powers rose to a sudden intrusion.

She jerked awake at the familiar feeling of youkai energy and tried to control her sudden pounding heart. The aura was powerful and it made Tetsuiga rattle uncontrollably. Kagome was already on her feet, moving out of her room and into the entry of the shrine, shrugging her coat on while still keeping hold of Tetsuiga.

"Where are you going?" Moshin called from his quarters as he came out of his room.

"So you felt it too?" She asked, relieved.

"I wouldn't recommend approaching it." He said and Kagome smiled breathlessly. "Kagome-"

"Tetsuiga isn't afraid of it and it _feels_ familiar." She told him, getting her shoes.

"I won't let you go out there." Moshin said, starting to reach out to her and some of Kagome's energy slipped in warning. He cautiously stepped back, allowing Kagome some room.

"Sorry, I never have been able to control my aura as well as I should." She said, trying to reign herself in. "I'm going. You can either come with me to investigate or you can stay here."

"If this means to harm you?" Moshin asked.

"It hasn't moved since I felt it. I don't feel a change in its aura either." Kagome explained.

"And if it let it's aura loose and is waiting for you-"

"Why is it ninety-nine percent of priests, monks or priestesses believe demons are evil?" She asked. "Inu-"

"According to your story and my ancestor, Inuyasha was half demon, meaning he was also half human." Moshin pointed out.

"And his father had to be a full blooded youkai who had enough emotional capacity to love a mortal." Kagome retaliated and it left Moshin's mouth hanging open. "I'm going. Try not to worry about me. I've dealt with demons before." She said as she fitted her shoes on and opened the door, closing it quickly behind her.

Moshin stood still, his teeth grit together as his mind raced. He knew what he was feeling, he wasn't a fool. Even if there had been no trace of demons for hundreds of years, his bloodline's instincts were honed for this particular danger. Even without training, understanding or a knowledge base as Kagome possessed, Moshin knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what it was out in the cold and snow. He could not fight as he had not been trained and he would be more a hindrance to her if she had to battle, but could he leave her to herself?

Deciding he could not, he threw on his coat and shoes, going out after her. She was easy to follow as her tracks were clear in the deep snow.

Kagome, for her part, was hustling toward the familiar tingle of youkai, noting how Tetsuiga trembled in her hands. " _Who is this, Tetsuiga? Who?_ " She wondered to herself as she pushed forward, grateful that it was the dead of winter and no one was out. She didn't want a normal human to happen upon this and she had some small fear that if it wasn't her, someone else could have been hurt.

She was running, feeling the energy growing stronger and her spiritual powers were responding brilliantly to the pull. Kagome felt their full strengths return like a great gust of spring wind bringing life back into her again. It was strange how alive she felt now as opposed to earlier today.

A vision of screams, of snow and smoke, speaking with Moshin, learning that Miroku and Sango were his ancestors and finding that not only did he have Miroku's staff, but Tetsuiga... And now this? Everything was coming to a head so quickly! What was it about tonight? Why was it happening tonight? She almost felt if she went home instead, she might even be able to jump down the well. The magic in the air, the electric current, was just that incredibly strong.

" _Gods, let it be him. Even if something happened and he's changed, I don't care!_ " She knew the energy she felt was a full blooded youkai, but it reminded her of Inuyasha and she prayed that even if he it was him as a full blooded demon, she wouldn't care so long as he remembered her. Human, half demon, full demon, whatever miracle brought him to her could choose his form freely and she would die happy to look at him again. " _Please, Inuyasha_!"

There was an alleyway up ahead of her and that was where the overpowering energy burned through to her. She rounded the corner fearlessly, still jogging when she skid to a halt, her eyes widening and disappointment rushed through her. It was... "Sesshoumaru?" She whispered, looking at the bloodied body of a male youkai, fur about his body.

He was entirely unconscious and even for being so close to death, his power was astronomical. Familiar, so familiar. Stepping forward, her heart both sullen and filled with concern, Kagome closed in on the torn body before her, slowly kneeling down to move the hair from his face.

She jumped back, her heart thundering wildly in her chest as she stared down at the Inu youkai laying before her feet. She still clutched Tetsuiga to her as she gazed down at him. "InuTashio?" How was this possible? He died? His swords, they were... They weren't with him. But what about the grave...? They were his bones that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were fighting in, weren't they? That's where they got Tetsuiga! It was in the black pearl hidden away inside of Inuyasha's eye. How was it that InuTashio was laying in the snow before her tonight...?

Looking up, Kagome's mind registered the new moon. Seven hundred years or so ago tonight he battled Takemaru of Setsuna and died in the fire that consumed the mansion Izayoi had been slain and revived within. His wounds, his-

"Kagome-" Moshin had come around the corner and his words ceased as he looked disbelievingly at the demon on the ground before them. "By the Gods..."

Hearing Moshin, having the presence of another human reminded Kagome that there were many more humans nearby. "We have to move him." She said, not taking her eyes off of him. "If we don't there will be countless people out here in the morning and-"

"Can you purify him?" Moshin asked and Kagome whirled to look at him in utter horror. "He is going to die, Kagome, his wounds are too grievous. As if that's not enough reason, if he did survive somehow, he is not going to understand where he is or when and he will lash out."

"You don't know that." Kagome fired back, her eyes filled with rage and disgust. "I will not let him die and I will not purify him. This is Inuyasha's father. I'm not going to dishonor his legacy."

"His blood will lead a trail to our door-"

"I will take care of that." Kagome said with certainty.

"You can not bring a demon into a holy shrine." Moshin was trying to reason with her. Clearly this was madness.

Kagome narrowed her eyes and stood straight as she stared at him. "Then leave and I will find a place without you following me."

"There is no where to hide him-"

"I will find somewhere." She said. "I've had to be resourceful before, Moshin. I can do it again."

"Why would you risk yourself-"

"If I were doing it for a human, would you say differently? Regardless of what he is, he is living and breathing and I will not standby for him to die, nor will I destroy him for your fears." She snapped.

Moshin stood quietly watching her, a young woman who he thought he knew. Her sudden strength came from a bottomless pit it seemed and her aura danced with determination and might before him, coloring the sky and the world around them with brilliant, deep hues. If this was even half of the person she was before she had been force-ably thrust back into this era, it was no wonder her story had to be true. She would have had to be a driving force in the defeat of Naraku.

He took a deep breath and said. "Clearly I have offended and disappointed you. I apologize, I am just-"

"Frightened." Kagome offered. "And being an ass."

He smiled a little at her righteousness. "I will allow that." He said softly. "I will also allow you to bring him to the shrine, but I must have your word." Those blue eyes grew entirely serious. "If he tries to harm a human being-"

"I will purify him instantly." Kagome said, not admitting she didn't think she was powerful enough to do it.

Moshin nodded, stepping forward and stood beside her. "Then we better get moving him."

"There was a reason Miroku trusted me, you know." Kagome said softly. "I wouldn't be doing this if I doubted his character."

Moshin nodded and they both bent down at once to begin pulling. She'd already known he would be too heavy to lift, so it was up to them to pull him all the way to the shrine. The blood that stained the snow was deep and abundant. It made her wonder how long he could survive or if he even would.

" _You wouldn't have sent him here to die, would you?_ " She wondered as they drug him along. Seven hundred years in the past would have been a fine place to die, not in the future. He had to have been sprawled forward in time for a reason.

After he'd been taken inside of the shrine, placed in Kagome's own room as she demanded, Kagome walked back outside and laid her fingers upon the snow. Summoning her spiritual energy, she purified the demon blood into nonexistence, leaving nothing but a depression in the snow in the wake of her power.

Standing up fully, she took a deep breath to steady her for the long, wakeful night to come and the many days of his recovery if he survived. And then she took one more for the knowing that should he recover, explanations would be necessary and she hoped they would be enough to abate any temper he could have.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello all, thank you for the reviews of my previous chapters and words of encouragement. I'm glad to see some of you have read TSTUWB, TIHYW and my others. (I'm also feeling a bit of guilt because ninety percent of those are not complete. Sorry...) Anywho, I hope you enjoy the chapter. This one took longer because I was in the hospital and I still don't feel too good. I had a 102.7 F fever for three days. It was no fun at all. Work is not pleased with me either ha ha.

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Chapter three

Kagome knew she needed to go to class, but with the demon so badly injured and the possibility of him waking in a violent state kept her glued to the shrine and his side. She scarcely left her room, something Moshin was concerned with, but Kagome knew this way was for the best. She would find a way to make up for her studies. She had already e-mailed her professors with a random, yet emergency sounding excuse and most had been understanding, willing to give her the assignments via internet. She read a lot and studied and completed all the work she could when she didn't feel she had to keep her eyes on him, eat or what have you. Her other class would just have to wait until she felt she could go and speak to the professor herself.

He hadn't moved in four days beyond breathing in and out. He had not winced, did not make noise or any sign of pain. The dog demon had a fever that would barely break and then return viciously and his wounds were horribly infected, but at all of her scrubbing, still he did not stir.

Kagome had just gotten finished cleaning his wounds once again when she decided she needed a little air. Standing, she stretched a little and gave him one last concerned stare before quietly stepping out of her bedroom. She was _so_ tired since she barely slept (worried he'd wake while she was unconscious) and she had hardly eaten either, so her body wasn't running on much. What she felt she needed more than either sleep or food was fresh air. The smell of his blood and the infection made her feel sick a lot, so it was better to clear her senses a little.

Snow still covered the ground outside, so they would have little to no visitors today, she was sure. That was good for Kagome considering how tired and overrun she felt. She wasn't sure she could deal with anyone trying to speak to her right now. She'd make an effort for Moshin, but other than that, not a chance. She would prefer to sleep standing up than deal with conversation.

It was so peaceful out here compared to the usual hustle of the world around. There were still people scurrying to jobs or to do some errands, and buses and cars could be heard moving about on the streets, but the cold was still tightening everyone up, making them quieter and less boisterous. It was wonderful, even if it was damn cold!

Kagome took a slow, steady breath in and released it quietly into the morning air, moving across the grounds slowly, her priestess garb a blaring red against the white on the snow. She wore this on the grounds only and only once during a festival (as she had only been to one in the years after Naraku was killed). Here was a holy place and it was only right to pay it justice by representing the grounds she stood upon. When she left for school, however, she did not wear the garb and instead looked like your average college student.

Looking back at the shrine, she caught Moshin watching her and offered him a tired smile. She knew he was concerned and that he didn't particularly like the feeling of youkai around him, but she was grateful to him and would not ignore him. If he was watching her, there was something on his mind. Going back to the entrance, Kagome took the three steps tiredly. "Good morning." She offered.

He nodded, his eyes taking in the darkness beneath her eyes and her pale countenance. He also watched as she struggled to breathe regularly just from so little motion. He finally figured out exactly what kind of miko she was, and it wasn't good. "Come inside. I have breakfast in the kitchen."

"Oh, I'm not really that-"

He took her sleeve and immediately started pulling her inside. "I will not waste so much food. Come inside."

" _Now he sounds more like a nicer Sango._ " Kagome grumbled internally. "I'm really not hungry." She said.

"I'm sure you do not feel that way because exhaustion is taking over more of your thoughts than hunger is." Moshin closed the door behind them. "You do need food, Kagome, or you will become ill."

"Maybe needing sleep is outweighing food." Kagome tiredly observed.

"Both are necessities." He said softly. "Eat now, sleep during the day. I'll go in and check on our guest from time to time."

Kagome stayed quiet, surprised that Moshin had offered at all. In the few days that the demon lord had been in their little abode, Moshin had stayed away from that area of the house and she knew he did not like the way the shrine felt as of now. The pure, demon free air had been molested and it was forever changed.

She didn't dare say it, but Kagome took more comfort from the feeling of Inutashio's youkai energy than any of amount of purity this place could have held. Was that strange? Her body had been changed in a way that she preferred the shocking, abrasive stimulant such as demon aura as opposed to spiritual cleanliness.

It really was good that she could keep her mouth shut some of the time. Six or seven years ago, Kagome really had a problem with that. The Feudal era had taught her much in the ways of 'speak not at the wrong time'. People back then were ready to chop your head off for anything.

The kitchen had a nice aroma to it, but more importantly it was warm and Kagome was tired. Warm+tired(many sleepless nights+college homework)= DYSFUNCTIONAL HUMAN BEING WHO WANTED NAP NOW. Closing her eyes tightly, she took a deep breath and tried to focus past all of the stupidness in her brain. Not that stupidness is a word or ever was, but it accurately described her current thought process, so she liked it.

"No, this is for you." He said, motioning her to the table where food was. "I was out much earlier than you this morning."

He must have been really concerned about her to make a _fresh_ meal solely for her consumption. Of course there was steamed rice, and miso soup (with tofu), but she was surprised to see a bit of broiled fish and tamagoyaki. She was actually impressed by the latter. Her mom couldn't even roll an omelet as compact as he had. When he cooked, she absolutely loved his food. He could have been a chef had he wanted to, but he chose the simple life of a shrine keeper instead.

"That's a lot of protein." She mentioned. Normally they had rice and miso soup. He wasn't the type to cook an overwhelming amount of things or to want more than necessary. Plus, those were the two things she was actually good at cooking and she tried to cook often.

"You have scarcely eaten. I'm sure your body could use it." He explained.

Kagome sat down slowly, noting there was also tea. "If I can't finish it all?"

"I'm sure it won't be a problem." He said, taking up some tea himself. "Once you start eating, I think you'll realize how hungry you are."

Kagome sipped the tea first, picking up the flavor of chamomile and ginseng. Her stomach was a little raw just at the invasion of the hot liquid. "Have you been able to sleep much?" Kagome wondered, giving her stomach a moment to settle.

Moshin sighed, sitting down at the table across from her. "I've managed a little bit more than you have, I'm sure."

Kagome gave him a soft, apologetic smile. "Can't get used to having a demon as a house guest?"

"A demon who appeared out of thin air, from another time entirely." Moshin added, then grew thoughtful. "Did Inuyasha ever tell you when his father died or when it was that he was born."

Kagome frowned around her rice as she chewed, thinking back. "Not _really_ , but if I had to say... I think it was about two hundred years before I released him from the sacred tree. So if we met in 1518... I'd say 1310-1330 or so."

"So this demon must be from the Muromachi period or the very late Kamakura period." Moshin said, his brows furrowed. "How old do you think he might be?"

Kagome opened and closed her mouth, not really sure. "I-I don't know. I never learned _that_ much about full-blooded demons. It wasn't much topic of conversation then."

"I see." Moshin said, watching her as she at some of the tamagoyaki. "You did not know much of demons, yet you trusted many?"

"I wouldn't say I had trusted many." She told him after she swallowed a decent chunk of her omelet. "I do have to say I trusted more demons than I probably did humans. I at least expected what they said to be truer than what I heard from a human and their intent was usually pretty clear, unlike most people I've known." Moshin's blue eyes were trained on her face as she looked down into her tea, her face drawn in a thoughtful frown. "Inuyasha's brother was after the sword and would kill either of us to get it, Koga wanted to make me his shard detector and then his bride, and various other demons were all 'hey, I'm going to turn you into this or that, or kill you because of whatever'. Humans were always so 'oh, please, let me help you' only to turn around and try to steal something or kill someone. It was just... I guess I lost a lot of faith in people."

"I don't think you've lost faith in humans entirely, Kagome." Moshin said, thinking back on all of the ways she had helped many people as soon as she learned any method of healing. "Maybe you've just gotten better at seeing what is unholy in them before they even show their true nature."

Kagome ate a bit more of her food and drank the rest of her tea, her mind thinking over his words, her situation and the demon in her bed. Slowly her mind focused more and more on Inutashio's injuries and his deep unconsciousness. His condition had neither worsened, nor had it improved. She was keeping him just on the cusp of survival. How could she help him along in the process without some of the remedies Inuyasha had taught her? This was not the Fedual era by any means and some of the herbs were extinct now.

As she had eaten as much of the food as possible, Kagome asked. "Moshin, is it possible for a priestess to heal a demon?"

The question did not really surprise him as Kagome had revealed much about her character in the past few days. He was accustomed to feeling like he was looking at a whole other creature now. "I have not heard of it, in all honesty. Perhaps if your energy was the same as his energy, but being two confrontational energies, I would not _think_ so. However, recently I seem to be wrong about many things."

"I wouldn't say you've been wrong." Kagome disagreed. "I would say that you did not know before, but you are learning now. Learning is always a good thing, Moshin."

He chuckled. "Even in my old age?"

"You're only forty two, stop being a booger." She said and he laughed then, making her smile. "Thank you for breakfast, by the way."

He nodded. "Anytime, Kagome."

She yawned, feeling pretty exhausted now that she had eaten and had talked so much, not to mention thought so much. "Will you rest for a while?" He asked her, hopeful.

Kagome looked up into his eyes, thinking momentarily. "If I can." She said honestly. "But I need to redress his wounds before I try." Sighing, she stood up from the table. "I'll do the dishes first-"

"No, Kagome. I can handle a few dishes." Moshin said softly. "You go and do what you feel you need to." He silently hoped it would be sleep and nothing more. She was watching the demon, doing her school work, scarcely eating or sleeping. If she didn't rest soon, he wasn't sure she would be able to handle herself if the dog demon woke.

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked softly.

"Hai, go, go." He waved her away, picking up some of the dishes and moving to the sink. Kagome stood there quietly for a moment, not really sure she should just let him be. She was incredibly tired though and it felt like she was almost faint after eating. Not liking the feeling of her tired brain, Kagome reluctantly left him to himself and moved back to her bedroom where Tetsuiga and the unconscious demon lord still lay.

His features were still placid, concerning her. Was he comatose? It was the only thing she could think at this point. She took up her medical supplies and went to his side, pulling back the cover from over him, revealing his nearly naked body. Seeing him so unclothed did not make her flush or uncomfortable as he was gravely injured and near death. That would be a childish way to handle this situation and she was a grown woman now.

He was _still_ bleeding enough to concern her and she wondered at the impairment of his healing abilities. What was going on inside of his demon body that was keeping him from being much better than when they found him? Something was clearly preventing his regenerative abilities, but what was it?

All of the necessary points to make connections were in front of her, she was sure, but her mind was too tired to think much right now. School work, dressing his wounds, worrying over him and the lack of sleep left her in utter exhaustion, and the comfort of a full belly was lulling her into a certain, deep slumber.

Inching away from the demon, Kagome laid down with Tetsuiga curled against her chest, the darkness taking her quickly. Her thoughts strayed and words were replaced by images, sounds and scents of a place that felt not so long ago, but was some five hundred years in the past. Her heart broke with longing, reaching out to a place she couldn't touch anymore.

Finally, thankfully, the imagery was gone and her mind let her fully rest.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for the kind reviews and words of encouragement. I am feeling better. I ran a fever for four freakin' days. YUCK! Anyway, enjoy!

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Kagome woke groggily in the early morning, her left cheek wet from drool and left shoulder numb. Using the numb shoulder to wipe her saliva away, she slowly sat up, still managing to hold Tetsuiga as she did. Her bones made uncomfortable cracking noises and she hissed from their slight stinging. Age showed itself in humans _way_ too early, if you asked her. Couldn't this kind of crap hold off until she was at least thirty?

Having to focus through the darkness in her room, Kagome noted that Inutashio was in the same position with the same expression. There had been no disturbance in his body as she slept. Kagome cleared her dry throat as she set Tetsuiga against the wall and moved closer to him. She examined him just as critically as before, trying to connect why his wounds still raged with infection the way they did. Her human ointments were doing nothing for him and she didn't have a great idea about what inhuman things could help him in this time.

"I'm going to loose you if I don't figure this out." Kagome murmured softly to him, concern in her every feature. "You're Inuyasha's father." She told the demon. "I would hate myself if I watched you die."

Even directly speaking to him had no reaction from the demon lord, not that she expected one, but it would have been nice. Even a sneeze would have been an improvement. Sighing, she stood up and left her room so she could use the restroom, her mind fogged with questions and concerns. She paid no heed to Moshin as she walked to the restroom, her mind so consumed that it would have taken him directly speaking to her for her to know he was there.

" _Something had better improve with this demon soon,_ " he thought, " _or else she will not be standing for long._ " Looking to her bedroom, he felt the aura of the demon at its original percentage. There had never been a flare or depression in his energy. That was enough to tell Moshin the demon was fighting, but he did not have much in him to do so with. How long before his reserves ran out? What would happen when they did?

Legend told that demons lost themselves when dying, so would this one? If he came to the final threshold of life to death, would he rise up out of this state he was in and murder countless, innocent victims? Kagome spoke confidently of the demon, but it was not a luxury Moshin could afford. All he could do, however, was pray that Kagome was right and that this demon meant no harm if it woke. If it didn't wake, per se, he would pray that it merely slipped into death quietly without the desire to hurt anyone or thing.

Kagome came back from the bathroom and Moshin stepped toward her. "Kagome," she looked up at him in surprise and he continued. "There is tea waiting for you in the kitchen and breakfast."

"Oh, thank you." She said, glancing back to her bedroom door, mind still on the demon Lord. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Yes, I'm actually about to head into town. We don't have much food left and we are now officially out of tea." Moshin said, not sure how he could have allowed the latter. In his home that was capitol punishment.

"Oh, I haven't even been paying attention." Kagome said honestly, surprised with herself. "How long do you think you'll be gone?" She wondered.

"I'm not sure. I don't want to be out in the snow too long." He answered honestly. "Why, is there something you need of me before I go?"

"Oh no, no. I was thinking maybe I'd attempt to meditate and I'm sure it will be easier not being in the same room as Inutashio." She was hoping meditation would help her to reflect on his problem and come up with a solution, but his energy was so distracting, she wasn't certain she could concentrate without some walls between them.

"Ah, then I will dally if that would help you." Moshin said, understanding her thoughts.

"No, don't put yourself out." Kagome said, approaching the kitchen. "I'll drink the tea and eat real quick so I can get started."

"I hope your meditation is helpful." He said as he stepped into his shoes by the door.

"I hope your errands are fruitful!" Kagome called with a grin in her voice. Fruitful and he was going to buy food, oh she just cracked herself up!

The tea was still warm enough to her liking and breakfast was more simple this morning, which was fine. Just some miso soup and toast. His soup was always better than hers. Hell, his toast was better than hers. It was just silly!

She was feeling so refreshed from her sleep last night that even her emotions seemed to have better range. Kagome was feeling as though she could accomplish a lot today. If someone were to come up and challenge her to anything, her energy level shouted "ACCEPTED"! After eating, she took care of the dishes quickly and went into the sitting room to meditate.

Her thoughts were running a little rampant, thinking of Inutashio, school, about calling her mom since she'd neglected that, taking a shower, and so on. It had been a while since she had felt this awake and now that she was, her mind was considering all sorts of things. However much some of this needed to be thought about, Kagome had to carefully cancel her own stresses and thoughts and seek a center of calm.

She'd changed her breathing, deepening and slowing it. She focused on the feeling of the air passing by her lips, filling her lungs until she could expand them no more and then she slowly released the air, feeling it was hotter escaping her than when drawing in. Of course that was logical, but that was not the point of this exercise. Logic was all fine and good, but when meditating, she was not meant to think, but to feel and to be guided.

Soon enough, her mind was drifting and she allowed it to go where it needed to go, barely letting her conscience hold onto a question that needed to be answered. What was keeping Inutashio from healing? She never really let the thought leave, but she didn't focus so strongly that it kept her from entering her meditative state. The question was there and if it was meant to be answered, whatever guide she had in the spirit realm would find a way to answer her in a manner she would understand.

In the endless quiet, suddenly images began to take shape in her mind. White and green mist sifted into her vision and something red and black danced along the outer edges. When these two mists became aware of one another, they attacked each other ferociously. Kagome saw the two different mists tangled together for sometime when, finally, the red and black seemed to die away. However, the mist of white and green had something black inside of it and it was keeping the white and green still, like it had gotten something of the other inside of it.

Realization startled Kagome out of the meditation and she gasped, standing up abruptly. "Oh, that's it! Duh, duh, duh!" She went jogging into her bedroom and knelt down quickly at Inutashio's side. Pulling back the cover, she let her spiritual power hum in her blood more than usual and barely felt the difference inside of him.

Ryukotsusei's dragon venom had latched itself inside of Inutashio's demon blood and was wreaking havoc to his healing ability. Why she hadn't thought of this earlier, she wasn't sure. Before he had died in the fire, he had battled Ryukotsusei, which is presumably why he perished in the flames when Inuyasha was born. He had been weakened by the dragon demon.

Was her little bit of modern medicine what was saving his life from the venom working its way through his blood? Either way, she knew now what to do, she just hoped _she_ didn't kill him. This was going to take great care and it had been years since she had done anything like this. Grasping her power so tight and trying to control it had always been a challenge for her. " _He could die either way_ ," She thought to herself. " _but I don't want to be the one to kill him_."

She took a deep breath and placed her hands over top of Inutashio's body, feeling the tremble in them and tried to steady herself. " _Please don't let me kill him._ " She prayed and took one last look at his face before closing her blue eyes.

Her spiritual power thrummed up through her body quickly enough and invaded the demon and she fought with her natural instinct to completely wash the air of him. Instead she was searching through his body, looking for something more abrasive than Inu youkai. What was laying beneath his own power and blood? Where was the difference?

" _Oh!_ " There was the malicious energy! Everything felt like it wanted to harm Kagome, but it especially felt like this wanted to hurt the body it was in. Her spiritual power flooded the evil and disintegrated.

The very first of his senses reacted to pain. It was entirely consuming and it was _pure_. Instincts registered exceedingly quickly, giving him a name in his fogged brain. _Priestess_.

Kagome attempted to gasp as something constricted around her throat and her eyes found deep red depths, void even of the robins egg. " _Oh, I hadn't thought about this all the way._ " She attempted to talk around his hand about her throat, but Kagome couldn't make a sound. Her heart rate was all but flying now and Inutashio didn't seem to be coming to his senses at all. All he knew was something hurt him and he was going to stop it.

Taking both of her hands, she very gently put them on Inutashio's own, the lightness of her touch bringing out the blue in his eyes. There was only a scant bit of relief that she felt at that. Their eyes held one another and she forced her spiritual power to recede as much as she possibly could while being faced with the threat of her death by his hand. That's all it would take too, just a twitch of his wrist and her neck would snap like a twig.

There was a great rattling in behind her, but she only realized it when the demon's eyes moved away from her. His expression remained the same for the most part, his eyes only narrowed a little and the depth of his voice surprised her as he murmured. "Tet-suiga?"

His eyes moved back to hers and the amber appeared, his hand loosening from around her neck ever so slightly. "Kagome." He murmured softly and she swallowed, the flesh of her throat moving against his hand.

"Hai, Higurashi Kagome. And you are Inutashio." She took a deep breath. "And I do not want to hurt you." She promised.

"Hn." His pupils broadened and he exhaled strangely. His hand slid from around her throat and his body tipped forward.

"Oh!" Kagome wrapped her arms around his upper torso as his weight crashed into her and his body took her to the ground. "Oaf." The noise left her as her back hit the wood floor and she looked down at the web of silver hair over her chest. "Uh... Thanks a lot, Tetsuiga." She wasn't sure if she was angry with the sword or not. Inutashio was _really_ heavy and she was feeling incredibly weak.

Laying there, looking up at the ceiling, Kagome hoped she could get herself out from under him before Moshin got home. She really didn't want to have to explain this to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

The dog demon was not sleeping restfully now that Kagome had purified the opposing venom from him. His face was tense and sweat poured from his body. He was in and out of fever and he panted terribly. Kagome dampened a washcloth and placed it on his forehead, knowing it wouldn't offer that much relief, but wanting to offer him some sort of comfort regardless.

Kagome had long since removed the covers from the demon as they'd been sodden by sweat and was currently cleaning the forearm closest to her. She worked carefully, seeing that the holes left from arrow shafts were still not as healed as she'd have liked, but she had just destroyed the venom in his blood this past morning so maybe she wasn't supposed to be able to see much of a difference. Still, she wished he was healing faster than this as she worried about hurting him at all. Not that he had woken again from pain, because he certainly hadn't.

She cleaned the rag and leaned over him to scrub at his opposite arm, her loose bun letting some hair slip and brush the demon lord. The scent of her, lilacs and sun, registered in his mind and he vaguely knew he was being worked over, but his body was exhausted and fighting hard to survive, so he stayed still, senses ever attune to her every motion. The miko, Kagome, knew him in some way, and her actions seemed to have the best intentions. Even Tetsuiga approved of her and though he could still speak to the sword, the swords way of communication was off somehow.

He had learned her name, understood there was an affinity for the human, that the sword felt possessive of her, but beyond that it was unclear at this time. He would question the swords vibrations further if his body began to heal and he actually survived the atrocious wounds delivered by Ryukotsusei. If not, it was a mystery that didn't matter in the end game. His problems would be over, but for now... His mind was on Izayoi and his second born, Inuyasha.

Where were they now? Where was he? Strange scents and terrible sounds plagued him and he didn't understand anything about them. His mind was in sensory overload, so it was good that he was so weak now he supposed. It was giving him time to adjust.

"Inuyasha must have favored his mother more." The girl murmured above him. "Sesshoumaru looks a little more like you than Inuyasha does, err... Did?" He sensed she was sad, the nuances of her voice quieter, reserved. "I don't know how to tell you or explain when you're awake later, so maybe I'll just try to practice now."

She chuckled a little, the sound dry and without any real sense of humor. "I'm not sure if I should start from my beginning or where you left off seven hundred years ago." Taking a deep breath, she thought carefully and finally settled while he forced his mind to remain quiet, eagerly awaiting her words. "The night you died, or everyone thought you died, I guess somehow you were projected to now, seven hundred years in the future." Again, it was a good thing he was too weak to even open his eyes as that seemed highly impossible, but her scent had not changed. Why lie to an unconscious man, anyway? "You left Tetsuiga to Inuyasha, Tenseiga to Sesshoumaru and Sounga was kept dormant by Saya for two hundred years."

Kagome frowned. "I don't understand, I mean... When Sesshoumaru came after Inuyasha to open the gateway in the black pearl of his eye to your remains-well, someone's remains, that's when Inuyasha first got Tetsuiga. Whose bones were the brothers fighting in if not yours? Whose soul came to them when they defeated Sounga and cast it to hell? He sure looked like you."

Kagome frowned, her blue eyes deep and nearly gray. "Did something change in the past somehow? All of my memories are the same and Tetsuiga recognizes me still. Time travel is _so_ confusing. I was happy not to have to be stressed about that again."

"Kagome?" She jumped, almost knocking the bowl of water over before glaring at Moshin. He knew he'd really terrified her, so he spoke quickly, not wanting to incur an enraged woman's wrath. "I'm sorry, I just heard you talking and thought-"

"Oh," she flushed. "No, he's not awake. I'm just talking to myself, sorting out things so I can tell him about his journey here and our odd connection more easily later. I mean, it's only a matter of time before he and I have to chat and I want to be comfortable when we do."

"Ah." Moshin nodded understandingly. "I just wanted to make sure you were well enough."

She smiled at him. "I'm fine. I'll be out in a little while for dinner." That was a promise and it relieved the priest. "Thanks for checking on me."

"Hai." He nodded, stepping back out of her room and allowing her to try and speak with the unconscious demon once again.

"Moshin's a pretty good guy. He's really freaked out about you being in the shrine, but I think he's doing remarkably well for being so twitchy around a demon." Kagome smiled sadly. "Humans and demons have always had such a hard time understanding one another, and yet we're so alike." Shaking her head, she said. "It's ridiculous to hold onto such prejudices when we're all just going end up rotting in the ground the same way."

What an interesting priestess she was turning out to be. His mind was growing fogged and exhausted, but he was straining to listen to her odd logic. "Your son suffered a lot for being half demon and half human. Neither faction accepted him at any point in his life really. I mean, he eventually made some friends, but it was a long time coming." She had quieted and he sensed a roiling of emotions inside of her. It took a few minutes for her to speak again, her energy fluctuating inside of her at a rapid rate. "God I miss you, Inuyasha. Looking at your dad, a demon, here in the modern era is killing me."

She had _loved_ his son deeply to sound as she did. Notions about the priestess, why Tetsuiga acted as it had and her desire to assist him were formulating rapidly now. "I just can't right now." Kagome said softly, dropping the rag in the bowl and standing abruptly to take it to the bathroom and clean them out. He listened to her steps lead her away, knowing what such pain was. To grasp her words was to say he was far beyond Izayoi's life now and seemingly his own sons. Though it was not in him to despair utterly, this was an intensely difficult pill to swallow. Somehow he felt cursed in life, though self pity was most unbecoming and for him, it would not do.

Kagome could have said the same, of course, though she wouldn't have wanted to admit feeling so hopeless and dejected. "I'm so stupid." She whispered to herself as she scrubbed the rag clean in the bathroom sink, having put some bleach on it. It always disappointed her whenever she allowed her emotions to hurt her in such a way. Inuyasha was gone to the past, time to move on, but wait, here's his sword and his daddy to make you feel nuts! Wonderful.

What was she going to do with herself when the dog demon was awake? How was she going to speak to him or look at him when his eyes reminded her of her past and people she missed in it? She really didn't want to turn into a sobbing moron when relaying whatever necessary information he needed to know.

She washed her hands with soap several times before feeling comfortable enough to take a clean washcloth, dampen it and apply it to her face. The coolness of it made the burning in her eyes feel better instantly. "Okay, that's better." She said to herself, looking into her own eyes, hoping Moshin wouldn't notice the puffy quality. Best to give it a few minutes still, so she piddled around in the bathroom, brushing her hair, making mental notes of what she needed to clean later. After five or six more minutes of trying to find anything to distract her, she finally gave up and inched out into the hall.

She took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen, smelling something good was cooking. Heading in, she asked. "So, what's on the menu tonight, chef?"

Moshin smiled a little to himself before answering. "Something familiar to you. Yudofu and a side of kayu." She came to look over his shoulder, seeing that the rice porridge he worked on, kayu, had some green onions for flavor and a few thinnly sliced carrots. The yudofu, what she remembered from back home, would be perfect for such a cold night. The tofu was being cooked in a mild soup that smelled like chicken broth to give the tofu better flavor.

"Do you want ponzu sauce tonight?" She asked him curiously.

"Ponzu sounds good." He agreed. "Would you mind starting water for tea?"

Kagome grinned. "I'll try not to burn the water." Moshin shook his head, a light chuckle leaving him. "Green tea?"

"Hai." He agreed as she filled the kettle with water. It wasn't long before she back over to the stove, setting the pot on the furthest corner of it, away from his cooking. "How is our guest?" She had relayed what she'd done to save the demon lord, leaving out the fact that he'd nearly crushed her throat.

"Making a slow recovery, but it's progress. Soon enough I'm sure he'll be up and moving around and that's going to be more of a challenge." She admitted freely, knowing very well that Moshin was concerned about this too. "When he wakes up, it's probably best to let me talk to him alone, Moshin." She caught his abrupt glance and sighed. "I know you worry for me, but my energy is going to be much calmer than you can force yours to be."

His face was tense and she felt bad for it, but Kagome knew it was what had needed to be said. "I wouldn't be comfortable leaving you to speak with him alone."

"I know." She sighed. "You worry about me too much."

"And you concern yourself too little." He told her, catching the confusion in her gaze. "I have no children, Kagome, have no one to worry over and I am getting older where all I do is fuss over this or that because I can. Now that you have been here in Nagoya for so much time, living at this shrine, I am feeling quite fussy over you. I wouldn't insult you by saying I feel fatherly toward you as I would not presume to take that place, but-"

Kagome put her head against his shoulder. "I get it. You love me." He grew very still, looking down at the top of her raven head. "It's okay, I understand. The little fox kit, Shippo, I loved him too. I wasn't ready to be a _mom_ and I knew I couldn't replace his, but I felt motherly toward him."

Moshin nodded even though she was not looking at him. "So you understand if I say I do not want to be far from you when the demon rises?"

"Hai." She said, standing straight again. "And I appreciate it."

The two grew quiet after that, finishing the dinner and tea, and sat down to eat, only talking about small things with the shrine. The food, as always, was wonderful and it wasn't long before she was full. This time she did the dishes, not accepting any help from him and forced him on his way. As she was working, she called her mom since they hadn't spoken in a while and explained her predicament to her.

"Oh, Kagome," her mother said sympathetically. "I know this must be so hard on you right now, dear." There wasn't a shred of doubt in her mothers voice that Kagome was telling the truth. "I'm so glad your professors are understanding, but what will you do once he wakes up and he wants to go places?"

"I don't know. I just have to hope he is willing to cooperate with me even if just a little bit." Kagome laughed a little at the next thought she shared with her mother. "Maybe I should put together a necklace similar to the one Kikyo made for Inuyasha."

"I don't think he'd appreciate that." Kagome's mother chimed in.

Kagome giggled. "I agree," then she thought aloud. "And honestly, I don't think my spiritual powers are strong enough for that."

"This demon is that strong?" She asked quietly.

"Mm. Remember when Inuyasha was nearly overtaken by Sounga? Inutashio never had that problem, even when sleeping he was too strong for the sword."

"Oh! Well then dear, best not to insult a demon _that_ powerful." Her mother agreed, making Kagome smile. "How are you feeling, though? Are you going to be okay?"

The young woman took a deep breath, her mood sinking ever so slightly. "I'll be okay." Her mother did not miss the implication there. She would _be_ okay, but was not okay _now_. "How's Sota doing in school?" She asked, changing the subject.

That was something else Mrs. Higurashi did not miss, but played along. "Very good, top marks in math, though not as good as you were in English. If you two were closer in age, you could have studied together." She sighed and Kagome smiled. "He's only got two more years of school to go. When did I become such an old woman?"

Kagome laughed then. "Mom, you are not old! Grandpa is a whole other story, but you are still a vibrant, beautiful woman."

"I know I raised a vibrant, beautiful young woman." Kagome felt warmth at that. "I don't want to keep you too long dear, and I do need to check on your grandfather, but I do want to tell you something I think is important." There was a strangeness to her tone that had Kagome holding her breath. "I wouldn't have said anything if you wouldn't have called and told me about Inutashio appearing, and I'm not sure I should now..." There was a brief pause, like her mother was thinking. "I'm sure I shouldn't keep this from you though, just in case.

"The night of the new moon, your brother and I heard something strange outside. When we looked out, I saw that the well house doors had been taken off. Busted, really. There were no footprints in the snow, there was no snow trodden in the well house either and the sacred tree was sort of moaning or groaning-I don't know, but it lasted all through the night and things have felt different here since. So I just want you to be careful with what you're doing, please."

"Do I need to come home and purify the grounds?" She asked immediately, shock and concern gnawing at her.

"No, dear, stay in Nagoya, please. I don't believe anything that came out of the well was here to harm us, but I feel-oh, I don't know, what's the word? I feel that it's just strange now. The air is thicker, denser."

"Do you think it was a demon? Do you think the well is active?" Kagome's heart was pounding. Why the hell didn't her mother call her? Why didn't she say something sooner?

"Don't you think if it was a demon, Inuyasha would have followed it through the well, dear?" Her mother asked softly and Kagome's heart clenched. "I believe it might have been an energy, so does Sota."

" _Energy._..?" Kagome questioned to herself mentally. " _Energy that could take the well house doors off?_ " She'd never heard of energy by itself doing something like that. There had to have been a demon there, right?

"Your grandfather needs his medicine, dear. I'm going to have to go-"

"Wait, mom," Kagome said quickly. "If anything else strange happens, promise you'll call me next time?"

There was a pause. "I will call you." She finally said. "I love you, I'll talk to you soon."

"Love you too." Kagome said, her mind in overdrive.

"Goodnight, Kagome." And the phone clicked before Kagome could reply. Her thoughts, her concerns, all of her energy had flown back home, up the familiar steps of the shrine and to the well, the sacred tree and her family. Not only did she have Inutashio to concern herself with, but her home as well.

" _You're going to have to get Inutashio on his feet and get home. School can wait._ " She thought to herself before leaving the kitchen to go take a shower. Thoughts plagued her mind and the hot water did nothing to soothe her tense shoulders.

" _A vision, Moshin revealing his family to me, Tetsuiga, Inutashio and now something came from the well house, disturbing the sacred tree? What is going on?_ " Her eyes narrowed at her own intense thoughts. " _A better question. What is coming?_ " Naraku was dead, this could have nothing to do with him. As long as history was the same, Ryukotsusei should have been in a slumbering state due to Inutashio's fang, so it shouldn't have been him either. Not that he would have even known to pass through the well anyway.

" _Energy, energy... What sort of energy could inflict that damage?_ " A demon could have expelled energy and then left the well house, but it would have had to fly in order for her mother and brother not to have seen footprints.

She returned to her room, still towel drying her hair and looked at Inutashio's more serene, unconscious face. She wondered to herself what it was that he must have brought by coming to the future. What was it that was starting now? She checked over his wounds, noting there had been a slight difference in their size.

Maybe Moshin was right. Maybe Kagome was meant to return to the future because of something, and maybe whatever it was she was meant to do here was starting to unfold now. Was she ready for it, though? Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha were all far beyond her call for aid, and though Inutashio happened to be here, he was in no shape to aid her now.

" _Kami, what do you want from me?_ " She thought to herself as she lifted Tetsuiga, pulling it close against her chest.

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Alright, another chapter down. Hope you all enjoyed it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

He was impervious to both cold and heat, but a fever? It left less than pleasurable sensations rushing through his body and he could not control the tremors running through him. Hot, then cold, then shaking, then sweating hot, then cold so the remaining slick coating felt icy, back to hot. It was annoying him to no end and though he grasped how close to death he had been, Inutashio was no less aggravated. He was ready to be through with this weakness by now.

It was a battle to do something so simple as open his eyes. He was fighting them like mad, trying to force them to obey. It was time to take stock of his surroundings, but the lids were less than cooperative.

He could hear that the miko was sleeping now, though it had taken her long to rest. Her mind must have been ill at ease, else she would have collapsed from the exhaustion he sensed from her. Yet even with him falling in out of sleep himself, she had been awake, though not moving. Now, in the latest watches of the night, she was finally unconscious and her sleep was deep.

Finally, after hours it seemed, he was able to force his eyes open and he took in the blurry ceiling above him. His brows were knitted tightly and his face revealed great exertion. What a demon he was, able to open his eyes. Ridiculous. Summoning the sword with his mind, curious to see if it would heed him, he found no response though its energy was with the girl.

Cutting an eye over, he seen that she had the sword in her embrace, pressed tightly against her chest with her cheek against the hilt. Surely that was uncomfortable for her, but clearly she did not care. What mattered to her was being close to the sword, a sword that had remained with Inuyasha throughout their travels together. She was wearing a priestess hamakas, interestingly enough, though he saw where a strange, short dress hung in the room. It was a style that he had never seen before. Was she a priestess or some sort of... entertainer? He sensed her spiritual powers, but the garb was strange and he wondered if perhaps this shrine was in desperate need of funding. Aiding demons would surely have them blacklisted.

Closing his weary eyes for a moment, Inutashio once again called out to Tetsuiga, but did not demand it to return to him, instead he just awaited an answer. The sword hummed ever so carefully, so as not to disturb the girl, Higurashi Kagome, he was sure. At receiving a dim reply, he questioned the lack of connection between sword and master.

He was left feeling like his fang had been split in two, and then that something foreign, though of his blood, had melded it. That was certainly interesting. So the sword had two true masters now and he was sure it was his half bred son whose fang had been used to fix Tetsuiga. Sesshoumaru surely would have never assisted his half brother in the endeavor and the sword would have never answered him then. It gave him an interesting perspective on how strong his son must have been in order to compare his half demon fang to his own. He was right then to rectify the enchantments around Tetsuiga to protect the boy from his demon blood then, as Bokuseno had recommended.

He probed the sword with general inquiries, trying to understand this new vibration pattern in Tetsuiga. It kept his mind busy for the many hours until daylight, and it was helpful in understanding much of what happened after his disappearance in time. However, there was a strangeness in asking of after Kagome's disappearance. One half of the sword seemed to pull against the other and an argument from within ensued. So after two tries, he left the sword alone to bicker to itself.

Turning his head, he watched the miko sleep with Tetsuiga, noting she was beginning to dream now. Her hands tightened around the scabbard and the sword quieted, seemingly paying attention to her as well. Her breath came out more unevenly then and she trembled, brows furrowing and face twisting into despair. "Inu-" she jerked. "Inuyasha!" Her voice surprised him as she did nearly shout.

She coiled around Tetsuiga, her face hidden from his view now, ebony hair spilling over her shoulders. "-sorry, so-" She lurched a little and a cry left her.

He heard feet rushing across the floor and her door was thrown back quickly. He and a man, Moshin he assumed, caught eyes. There was a trace of fear in the priest and he sensed the spiritual energy rising in defense automatically, but the girl was clearly more important to him. Moshin rushed over to her and turned her body so she would lay on her back.

"Kagome?" She didn't stir right away. "Kagome, wake up. Kagome." He gently shook her until her eyes snapped open and her spiritual power seemingly exploded out of her. It brushed by both Moshin and Inutashio harmlessly, but the force of the spiritual swell in her did surprise them both. "Kagome, are you alright?"

"He almost killed him, and it was my fault. Naraku-" Kagome was shaking, tears in her eyes.

"Remember, you told me Naraku is dead. You made a wish upon the shikon no tama for it to disappear for eternity. The days of Naraku have passed." He told her softly. "Everything's alri-"

"No, no it's not alright. It will never be alright. Inuyasha, I can't-" He watched the tears spring in her eyes as the heartache raced through her veins. "I miss him!"

"I know you do, Kagome." Moshin pulled her into his embrace. "I know." Her sobs were muffled by the thick cloth of his shirt and her hands were fisted in it. Her gently rubbed her back, trying to sooth her and whispered gentle things to her, ever aware of Inutashio watching their interaction. When their eyes met, Moshin noted that the demon did not seem angry or annoyed, he was merely watching her in her grief.

It was a while, long enough for Moshin's legs to cramp a little as he sat, before Kagome fell asleep again, having cried herself back into exhaustion. Moshin carefully laid her down, positioning her so the sword could still be in her fingers, but so that it wouldn't hurt her either. He smoothed the hair from her face, only looking at her as he quietly said. "She was always melancholy, but with your appearance, it seems the hole in her heart has been reopened. I don't know if you look like him or if it's your being a demon, but your appearance has done Kagome more damage than she deserves."

Inutashio did not speak, he only listened quietly to the priest, not surprised that a priest would blame a demon for anything in particular. "I'm not sure that her sleeping with this sword is healthy for her either." Moshin murmured softly. "Or that her sleeping in this room with you awake is wise."

He went to lift her and Tetsuiga buffered him away, making her frown and roll, holding the sword closer to her. Moshin narrowed his eyes at the sword. "I've moved that sword countless times when I was growing up in this shrine and in one night, it's gone from feeling normal to being a completely aware, demonic sword." He sounded miffed and Inutashio would offer no explanation, not that he had one anyway. The damn sword had always thought for itself, bickering with Sounga like it was more than just a fang of his, but this was another level of awareness altogether. Stranger than that though were the thoughts of why all of this was set into motion.

Why had he been thrust forward seven hundred years in time and, on the same night, had Tetsuiga reawakened? What was the correlation? He had lived a full life, had created two, powerful sons and defeated many enemies. That was all that he had expected to accomplish, all he had needed, but the Gods seemed to have another plan for his life, prolonging his existence.

His eyes shifted back to the girl gripping Tetsuiga tightly to her and he wondered at their plans for her. There was a strength deep inside of her that he could sense, a sort of endless fountain of purity that he had not felt often in his time on this plain. Could it be that there was something he _and_ she would accomplish? It was a strange thought, but it wouldn't surprise him. From what Tetsuiga had managed to explain, she and Inuyasha had combined demon and miko power to defeat many of their enemies.

"I can't lift her because of the sword, but I won't trust you with her either." Moshin said, earning himself Inutashio's attention. Sharing a meaningful look with the demon, Moshin settled himself in near Kagome and the two males watched one another. It was morning, he had slept all night and Inutashio for many days. Though exhausted, the demon wasn't about to back down from a challenge.

When Kagome stirred again, Moshin was still sitting near her, cross-legged, and Inutashio was still awake, his gold eyes meeting her blue ones. She sucked in a quiet breath and held it inside for a few moments, her eyes sharpening from sleep to an instant clarity upon meeting his gaze. His eyes were brighter than Inuyasha's, but not the honey/yellow of Sesshoumaru's. They were like the sun, like fire.

Her breath exhaled slowly and she studied the demon before her, looking over his purple stripes and the red over his lids. When Inuyasha had changed into a full demon, he- "your markings..." She whispered, watching a spark ignite in his eyes at her words. Clearing her throat, she explained. "He had your demon markings, the stripes, when he was a full blooded demon."

Moshin didn't speak, he only listened to her, watching the two of them looking at one another. "He was without Tetsuiga." Inutashio said simply, understanding and his voice was deep enough to move mountains it seemed. Deeper even than Sesshoumaru's.

"Not everytime." She said, noting the change in his eyes, eyes she thought would be cold like Sesshoumaru, not remotely warm like Inuyasha. "Sometimes there were incantations or spells from powerful demons that would force his transformation. Even the jewel shards being in Tetsuiga had made him transform before."

He watched her thumb caress the sword, her eyes still holding to his unflinchingly. "It must be because you were his only demon parent, but he had the same exact stripes with the same exact coloration. They were in the same place." She was fascinated, clearly. "It was just the red over your lids that he was lacking."

Inutashio did not speak further about his son or their similarities, he simply let the miko watch him as she wished and kept close attention to the priest's aura. "You're in the future." She explained simply. "Carts and horses don't transport people anymore. There are many different metals that, when put together, make something called a vehicle. With rubber for wheels and electricity, a spark, fire, it will take them farther in less time than a horse and cart would. Not as fast as some demons, but quickly nonetheless." She watched him unblinkingly, assessing his features. "I'm sure you've heard some of their noise outside."

Moshin wasn't sure the youkai believed her, judging by his expression at least, or lack there of at this point. "Demons don't exist anymore either." Kagome told him and she watched as something seemed to flicker in his eyes. Though she waited for him to speak, no words came. "That's why Moshin's aura is the way it is around you. He is unfamiliar with it and can't judge how he should feel about you.

"I've been to the past, five hundred years before now and two hundred after you were supposed to have died." She watched him with a frown, thinking to herself for a moment. "Can you explain to me whose remains those were in the black pearl?"

He did not speak right away, simply staring into the blue of her eyes, knowing he owed her no answers, but loving a human had made him more inclined to cooperate with one. Or at lest a human as compassionate as he sensed this one being. "My father's." Those were the only remains that had ever been cast to a sealed location in another realm.

She seemed surprised and he wasn't sure if it was about his answering her or his answer. "Sesshoumaru and Myouga said they were yours though."

Inutashio smirked a little and it was decidedly more like Inuyasha than Sesshoumaru, and it made her heart ache. "Totosai would have been the one to fix the pearl into Inuyasha's eye. He had to place the sword in the remains. My bones would not have been found in that debris, so he would have been forced to use another means."

"He could of at least told someone." She grumbled. "Old man probably forgot." That was truer than she knew, or perhaps she did. He shouldn't have been surprised that she'd met Totosai, especially after mentioning Myouga. "Well, what about when Sounga was defeated?"

"Hn." The demon attempted to shift, but there was great pain in the motion and his body was too weak to fight against it, so he stayed as he was and continued speaking. "When I learned of Izayoi's pregnancy I spoke to Bokuseno of the half demon in her womb and of my blood. It was by his recommendation that I seal Inuyasha's demon in somehow to protect innocent lives. I also knew his brother would despise him and, as is the nature of such things, Inuyasha would come to hate him just as much.

"Sesshoumaru could not be given Tetsuiga, he would not understand such power. He was too young to think beyond his own selfish desires. Neither could I give him Sounga. At that age, at that strength, Sounga would have devoured his soul. Tenseiga would teach him humility, it would teach him compassion and should Inuyasha discover the windscar or backlash wave, it would protect Sesshoumaru from a certain death. I also knew Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru would have to one day come together and defeat Sounga side by side. In doing so, I wanted them to have a message from me directly. I took my essence and sealed it around Sounga, only to be released when it had been fully obliterated and sent to Hell."

Moshin sat quietly still, but was inwardly impressed at the brilliance of this creature before him. Clearly this was a different class of demon altogether. "Myouga, Totosai and even Saya said you were a mastermind of many things, but I don't think I ever understood until right now." Kagome murmured from where she still laid on the floor, looking across to him. "I don't know that it matters, but Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru didn't hate each other in the end. I wouldn't say they cared if one or the other croaked, but they quit trying to kill each other."

Inutashio made no outward signs of caring. "The sword is fond of you." He told her instead, watching as pain lashed out in her eyes. "It would not return to me even if I called."

That surprised her and even Moshin. "I-I wouldn't understand why not."

He closed his eyes for a moment as he was growing weary, but answered her unasked question. "It remembers the first time you touched it, releasing it from its holding. It recalls meeting Inuyasha's desire to protect you." Her hands trembled around the scabbard and the sword hummed at her touch. Opening his eyes, the liquid fire of them held the cool blue of hers. "If I didn't know any better, miko, I would say Tetsuiga has decided its new master."

She froze, her heart pounding. " _New master...? ME?_ " Kagome looked down at the weathered hilt of the sword. "I can't _use_ it, it's a demon sword. I'm a priestess."

Inutashio snorted. "That sword is calling to you, body and soul girl. It will speak to me, but it has no desire to come to me."

"Maybe it's because..." She didn't finish, her hands tightening about Tetsuiga and a great sadness overwhelmed her.

"It is not only the boy having loved you so." Inutashio told her. "The sword has bonded to you now."

Kagome felt the tears swelling in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "I'm sure your tired, I should let you rest." She said gently, sitting up. "Unless you feel like you could eat something?"

"I do not require your food." He said, closing his eyes. "But I would sleep."

"Hai." She agreed, slowly standing, looking to Moshin. He was acting pretty calm, but she knew inwardly he was probably freaking out at this point. It would be best to get him away from the Inu youkai for a time."Would you like to talk over tea?" She asked him quietly.

Moshin looked to the demon one last time before nodding. "Tea sounds good." He agreed aloud.

"Okay, let's go start the water and let him rest." Kagome said, grudgingly letting the sword down. She left a long caress across it, almost as a 'thank you' and 'I'll be back later'.

She quietly slid the door shut to her room and left Inutashio himself. As their feet trailed away, the demon let out a chuckle. Her words crossed his mind and so he muttered. "Demons don't exist anymore." Or perhaps humans had gotten too populated and they were now better at hiding from the mortal creatures. Clearly she was not well trained, but something told him that would be rectified.

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Thank you for your reviews, I appreciate every single one. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed your reading.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

The miko was a strange one. She did not shy from him in anyway and even refused to let him sleep alone. Moshin was severely displeased by that, as he had heard from their argument. They had been outside, tending to something from what he could tell when the conversation came up about where she would sleep now that Inutashio had woken. Kagome easily said, "In my room of course."

Moshin's reaction was a slow build of disbelief and then anger, but she snapped back pretty easily, mentioning how she was accustomed to sleeping around many different creatures from that time period. Two men (one being half demon of course), a woman, a fox kit and a fire neko all made for interesting company. That is all he would be, interesting company.

Kagome did not sleep easily around him, however, and it didn't surprise the demon. There was so much that they were connected to that in turn connected them, and it was awkward for the girl. When they spoke it was brief and she did not ask many questions.

Tonight though... He felt it would be different as he had been able to nearly sit up earlier that day. She knew, as did he, that he would wish to move about and see this time period, and he knew she was not comfortable with the idea. It wouldn't be long now before she began to speak to him as she was preparing to settle in for the night.

She was folding her other priestess garb she had washed and she was trying not to look at him as she completed her task. It was amusing if he was being honest. She tried to pretend not to notice him staring at her, though her aura and how it reacted to his gaze clearly stated that she knew he watched her. Whether she was accustomed to such scrutiny or not, his attention unnerved her a bit and he was sure it had more to do with the fact the he was the father of the man she loved than anything other.

Though she claimed they had few similarities, beyond the stripes of his cheeks, he had to think that perhaps there was more than that. Maybe not in his features, but maybe in his personality, which was odd to consider as one, Inuyasha had not grown near him and could not be affected by him, and two, he and Kagome hadn't really had that much interaction.

Of course, this side of Inutashio was one that did remind Kagome of Inuyasha. During the last leg of their journey together as they hunted Naraku, Inuyasha had matured and was very much like his father who so carefully spoke and watched her now. The contemplation and his stillness, the way his aura stayed tightly wrapped about the space he was in was all so Inuyasha. It wasn't cold and unfeeling like Sesshoumaru, because it distinctly felt of thought and consideration. This, if nothing else, made it so much harder for her to be near the demon.

As she finished with the last of her laundry, she flattened her hands against the top of her thighs, taking a quiet, but deep breath. They had to discuss this whether she was ready or not. Time was not the same, humans knew nothing of demons and so he could not be seen in flying around or moving at impossible speeds across the land. His clothes and markings would be issue enough, but at this particular age in the world he would simply be viewed as eccentric.

She nearly groaned outwardly as she imagined the young adults wanting to take photos with the demon because of how 'cool' he looked. How would he react to that? Even without a sword, he was clearly a deadly creature. Would he harm them for their foolishness? That seemed something so much more Sesshoumaru than Inutashio, but could she comfortably put it out of mind?

How do you presume to tell a demon of his caliber what to do? In her youth Kagome had certainly done just that, but something had changed in her since the absence of the Fuedal Era. The wild, bold teenager who'd been thrown into a post modern, demon infested era had taken charge into things head on with a little too much fire, but now it felt like that fire was gone. Fifteen or sixteen year old Kagome Higurashi would have told the dog demon before her exactly what he could not do with no issue.

But Kagome wasn't that teenager anymore and though she was no old maid, she had been changed irrevocably. So what was she to say? What was she to do? Being lost in thought as she was, she no longer noticed the amber gaze that had been so steadily upon her. In the lapse of attention, her shoulders drooped down a little more and the slight flush to her cheeks left. Even her eyes changed, looking dull in their introspective thinking. He found it unbecoming of the miko for some reason. Though he had been in her company these short few days, there was something about this internal distance that did not seem befitting.

And then there was a shift very suddenly in the human before him. It came from a moment of darkness where a crack of light shone in her soul so bright it may just have reflected in her eyes. She had absentmindedly brushed the scabbard of Tetsuiga and her energy doubled back instantly, even before the sword itself could offer a vibration of comfort.

Kagome turned her gaze to Inutashio, a watery smile her initial offering. Though he watched her with little change in his gaze, Kagome could sense the curiosity to her strange actions. "I feel adrift a lot, like there's no real purpose for me. I've been going to school, being taught a trade I know I will do well in, but I just never feel like there's something I'm meant to achieve. But here you are, here is Tetsuiga, Moshin is a descendant to my dearest friends and unnerving things have occurred at the bone eaters well. And though a part of me wants the Gods to be done with me because _I_ am so defeated, maybe there is something more that hasn't been done. Maybe it's time to go back." Her inner most thought whispered. " _To go home._ "

Clearly she spoke of the time in which his son still lived and assumed it was to then she must return. But what of his appearance in this time linked him to that one? Why would he have been kept alive and brought seven hundred years in the future only to be slung back five hundred more? The miko was hopeful, but Inutashio was doubtful.

"I know you're probably tired of laying around like this and that you're ready to go places, but I really need to explain some things to you." She continued on, standing to go over to a closet. She opened the door and pulled a lap top from her bag, going over to the demon lord closely. "This is a computer. I know that doesn't mean much to you, but it's basically like a million books with more information than most people know what to do with are all crammed inside of here." He watched as she opened it and turned on the device, listening to the whirring and clicking it offered in response. Soon the screen lit up and he had to squint momentarily as she logged on.

She didn't mind the closeness to him at all, which was odd still for the Inu youkai. Humans did not normally come so near and though she was a miko, his power and his station kept him from being unnerved. It was simply strange, but his pondering soon slipped away as she spoke again. "Okay, here we go." She said after a moment, moving her fingers over the keys, typing things into a search engine. "So this is Nagoya on a day to day basis."

For a moment he almost didn't understand what he was seeing and then after another moment, he nearly couldn't believe it. First and foremost was the sheer amount of humans on the screen and then, what took him the longest to digest, were the buildings. As Kagome slowly clicked picture by picture, most of these buildings seemed to reach the sky. "Humans created these?" He asked, taking one clawed hand to point at the architecture.

"Yes," Kagome answered with a small smile. "Humans have come a long way in designing many things, including these." She said as she pointed to a car. Pulling up separate window, she searched a video on vehicles and showed him how they drove.

The more he saw, the more questions he had. Inutashio was proving even more inquisitive than Inuyasha had been about her era. The two of them were close together, sitting up late into the night (Inutashio mostly leaned onto his side) and spoke of the history of Japan and how it led to the very moment they were in, which led to them speaking of other countries as well. It wasn't until Kagome had actually laid down herself to scroll through articles for him to read (explaining new characters in their language when need be) that Inutashio realized how late it actually was.

Soon the sun would rise over a snow fallen Nagoya and the mortal had not even closed her eyes for a moment. "Perhaps you should rest." He observed, catching her startled glance.

Then she looked at the clock in the corner of her computer screen and her eyebrows shot up. "Oh wow! It is late, isn't it?" Sitting back up, she began shutting down the lap top and rubbed her right eye as it was stinging a bit. "I guess I should lay down for a bit." She seemed to be considering the notion more than deciding on it. Even as she put a few things away, she was again to her own mind.

Inutashio watched her move about, now laying once more himself. He would not sleep now as it was not necessary, but that hadn't bothered the miko last night, so he knew it wasn't that thought that kept her awake. Could it be things she felt she needed to accomplish around the shrine? Considering how few humans actually visited the shrine, he was sure it wouldn't be horrible if she slept even a few hours. However, she seemed like quite the dutiful person.

For Kagome though, she was thinking about her mom and whether she should encourage travel today or at the very least go and get two train tickets home. Could the demon handle being in such a confined area with so many humans for so long? Moshin was surely going to have kittens at the mere suggestion, but Kagome knew it was important to get home to investigate the energy and the possibility of returning to the Feudal period.

Mind made up, Kagome stood and went to retrieve a different set of garbs. "I'll be back." She told Inutashio as she scooted out of the room, going to the bathroom to change in the tiny space. She'd mastered the technique of not busting her ass after a few nights being at the shrine. It had taken a lot of work, but she'd managed it!

She had on a navy blue sweater, a pair of jeans and her brown jacket. She'd grab her brown boots and gloves on the way out. First she would leave a note for Moshin and then get the rest of her things before she would head to the train station, all without him arguing against her. By the time she got down to the station, as it was quite the walk, they'd just be ready to sell some tickets. She'd purchase two for tomorrow and that would be the end of it.

She would just jump head first and trust Inutashio to not tear anyone apart. She would focus more on the old fire that had to be somewhere in her spirit, even if there were only warm coals now.

For a chance to be with Inuyasha again, she would do this. _"I won't fail him this time. I'll come home."_ She thought to herself as she finished the note for Moshin and went again to her room.

As she came through the door, she caught Inutashio's gaze and noted he inspected her clothing. She wasn't surprised by that as he had only seen her in her priestess garb. "More like the pictures, huh?" He gave a slight nod, seeing that she put on gloves and a pair of socks before standing again with her boots. "I'm going out for a bit, but I'll return shortly. "I showed you the trains earlier and that's where I'm going. They sell tickets for passage. Instead of you trying to fly or run to my home in your healing condition, I think it would be best if we went by train."

"This is the fastest method?" He wondered.

"A plane is faster, but that's a lot of money." She laughed a little. "And I think that might be too odd for you." He did not respond, thinking of the particular vehicle that she had showed him images of and how it made its way into the air. "Alright, I'll be back in a bit. If Moshin starts yelling... don't be surprised." She said, looking like a child that knew it was soon to be caught by a wrathful parent.

With that she slid around the door frame and was gone from his sight, leaving the shoji cracked a little as it could sometimes get stuffy in her room. The demon listened to her quiet footfalls across the interior wood floor before hearing the screen of the outer door slid. There was some shuffling, and then the heavier clunk of the boot being on her foot before another. And then the screen was shut, letting him know Higurashi Kagome had begun her journey into the city she had shown to him as Nagoya.

Even through her uncertainty, the aspect of returning to the past had her spirits charged, forcing her to go against her better judgment and travel with the demon before many humans. If he had remained in the shrine but four more days, he would have been able to fly with her to this home of hers, but he felt that she somehow wanted to show his curious mind the workings of the future.

And it was just so that Inutashio wished to see it himself.


End file.
